A Quest for Hugs
by DreamAlex
Summary: Vulkin is on a Quest for Hugs! Quick one-shot.


_**"Aw, come on Vulkin. You burn EVERYONE. Do you really expect anyone to hug you?"**_

* * *

A pale light poured out from the branches as a small figure hopped from snowdrift to snowdrift, steam rising up little by little with each hop. Wherever they went, they left a trail of melted patches of the snow. Normally you would expect to find grass below - hidden beneath the blanket of white. But instead, the curious little creature left a darkened black patch of Earth behind, along with a small steaming pool of water.

The monster, with it's short, stubby legs, was having quite the difficult time getting to their destination. Indeed, the snow seemed to tower over the poor monster… yet still they crept onwards, simply glad for the fact that the snow melted wherever they went, allowing them mobility instead of restricting them to one place. Nope, they had one place in mind… and already, the village of Snowdin could quite clearly be seen in the distance. Smoke poured out of several chimneys - only exciting the small monster more, wriggling their round body. Those buildings were exhausting smoke just like them! Which obviously meant, there was heat! Just like back in Hotlands.

Vulkin did enjoy their heated home - don't get that wrong. But... it did get tiring at times to see the same old faces - the same old monsters. Tsunderplane was great and all, and Fuku was nice to chat up with, but when you had others like Heats Flamesman and Pyrope to deal with, with their hot-headed personas… it was just too much at times for the little monster.

While Vulkin had considered going North… it had seemed that the monsters who hung around at the MTT Resort Hotel didn't really appreciate hugs. That had been slightly disappointing, they had to admit. Didn't anyone like hugs? All the monsters there had been sent walking - more like running- the other direction, screaming something about how this wasn't relaxing in the least. Eventually, a green slime monster had shooed off the small creatures, leaving a trail of green behind it. How rude the people in that hotel were! Vulkin had ventured further to the Core, but the monsters there were even WORSE if that was somehow possible! All stuffy, and none of them wanting to play or have hugs! They were all business and no play - which had sent Vulkin looking elsewhere in their quest.

Waterfall had sadly not been an option at all - water, rain, and moisture just didn't mix with them. And while the idea of splashing through puddles did appeal to them, the thought of their eternal flame being extinguished by rain dripping into their volcano back was just not something they had wanted to chance. But while gloomily wandering by the river - the River Person, seeing how down in the dumps Vulkin was, had suggested for the tiny monster to visit Snowdin instead - and had even offered a ride in their boat so Vulkin wouldn't have to risk going through Waterfall - and River Person had significantly lowered the speed of their boat so no water accidentally would splash up onto Vulkin.

And that's how the little mosnter had ended up here, wide black eyes staring ahead, trudging through the snow. As they entered the small town, after bidding a polite goodbye to River Person, already several things had caught their eye. To the left, was a small building. It looked like it could have been a tower to a castle, if not that it was sticking out of the ground directly out like that. Was intrigued them even more, however, was the blocks of ice, way bigger than Vulkin's own size, were being brought out on a converyor belt, and a wolf-like monster was taking them… and throwing them into the river?

It took a moment for it to click that the blocks of ice must have been the ones sent to the core so that it was kept cooled down enough to work! Vulkin had always wondered where they had come from, but had never before had a chance to explore this far. Though, the question of how those blocks were made so perfectly and where the came from crossed their mind, but it was quickly put into the back of their mind as out of the corner of one eye, they spotted a trio of rocks - a family, it seems! So fascinating! You certainly didn't see these sorts of monsters in Hotlands. Excitement ran through them. What else was there to see?

A grin on Vulkin's face, they increased their pace, hopping through the drifts faster and faster… and nearly gasped at the sight they saw. A large fir tree stood in front of them - twinkling from colorful lights, surrounded by an assortment of presents, and an even bigger assortment of monsters! Bears, mice, demons, rabbits… you seemed to have everything here! It was just so different than in Hotlands… where everyone just seemed to be the same, always.

Vulkin's mind didn't even think of hugging at first… because a new building had caught their attention. Large, with loads of good smells coming out of it! Oh, they just had to check this out! Wriggling for a moment, they made their way towards the large building, stopping only for a second to read the sign at the top. 'Grillbys.' Vulkin had heard of the diner before - it's greasy reputation has certainly reached the ears of everyone in the Underground. But Vulkin had never thought about visiting it - until now, of course. They were here after all… and they wanted to see all this town had to offer!

Inside, could arguably be almost as amazing as the outside! Food that smelled wonderful… and more monsters they had never seen before! Aquatic monsters, a bird or two, a horse… and even a fire monster behind the counter, looking rather similar to Fuku, Vulkin silently noted in the back of their head. But the most abundant species of monster there, had to be dogs. Lots and lots of dogs! And Vulkin knew what these dogs must have been a part of, from both their reputation and from their gear. These were the Royal Dog Guards!

Vulkin only had met two royal guards before - the two that often patrolled Hotlands. Those guards were also unwilling to hug them - they argued that it was because of their armor. Vulkin just saw them as party-poopers. But… would these dogs want to hug them?

The shuffled up - not even noticing that they weren't leaving small marks on the wooden floor, like they should have been. But they went over, silently looking up at the biggest dog there was there - and Vulkin went over, gently nudging his legs by headbutting their head against it.

The dog looked down, surprised. And Vulkin had seemingly managed not to only gain the attention of that one dog… but the whole table. For a moment, there was a beat of silence. None of the dogs spoke, simply staring at the small monster.

"... Hug?" Vulkin offered, looking up with their wide black eyes.

Nothing happened… and Vulkin began to feel that same disappointment. That was, until the big dog scooped up the monster, and curled them into a big, slobbery hug. For a few seconds, Vulkln was stunned… this dog was cuddling them - licking them. Hugging them! Their core temperature… it must have went down through their journey in Snowdin, and allowed the dog to do such a deed.

It only took a few moments, before pure joyous laughter escaped Vulkin, their dream finally coming true. Both monsters there were happy - and the rest of the dogs went back to their poker game, a small smile on each of their faces at seeing the heart-warming scene, but none of them willing to interrupt the moment the two had.

It was a beautiful sight.


End file.
